The present invention relates to cavitation phenomenon which occurs in flowing liquids and provides apparatus which enables the prediction of the erosion rate of material subjected to the effects of cavitation.
Cavitation is a physical phenomenon occurring in a liquid in which cavities or bubbles are formed when the pressures in certain areas in the liquid approach zero. It is known that cavitation damages the surfaces contacted by the moving liquid. As each bubble collapses, it apparently produces an impulse against the exposed surface causing erosion of the surface.
At the present time, methods for determining erosion rates due to cavitation involve either analytical estimates or large scale long duration field tests. The former are unreliable and the latter are expensive and time consuming.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for quickly and accurately evaluating the intensity of cavitation in a moving liquid to enable determination of erosion rates due to the effects of cavitation.